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“I’ll leave in a few minutes.”
I jumped out of bed and rummaged through my closet for something to wear. A pair of black leggings and a long light-pink tunic would have to do. After hanging up with Mindy, I went to the bathroom beside my room and took out the curling iron.
The house was quiet since Shiloh wasn’t around, which meant Sid was asleep. After brushing my teeth, I looked in the mirror. My hair was in a messy bun and didn’t look half bad, so I pulled a few strands loose around my face and put the curling iron back. I slicked some mascara on and applied some light-brown eye shadow to make my eyes pop.
The tennis shoes that I normally wore to the farm were by the back door. I was bent over putting them on when a flash of black came at me. I didn’t have time to brace myself. Shiloh jumped on me, nearly knocking me down the stairs. Strong hands gripped my upper arms and pulled me upright.
“Shiloh, down!” Sid shouted.
He let me go and yanked the back door open. Shiloh bolted outside, and I escaped into the kitchen. When I turned around, I froze. Sid had on gray sweatpants again with no shirt, and his long hair was a mess around his face. The beard that he normally kept groomed was a little long, and I wanted it scraping my legs and marking my skin. Who knew the unkempt mountain man look could be so hot? My lady bits could not take it.
Sid turned toward the door, waiting for Shiloh. He raised his arms above his head and leaned to one side. The muscles in his back rippled, and I drooled. He turned toward me, and my eyes roamed down his chest to his toned abs. A trail of dark hair disappeared into the waistband of his sweats, and a noticeable bulge was getting larger the longer I stared.
He cleared his throat, and I jumped, letting out a yelp. He smirked and took a step toward me.
“Isn’t it a little early to be going somewhere?” he asked. His voice was husky from sleep, and it rolled over me like a wave settling between my thighs. I sighed, and his smirk grew.
I cleared my throat. “Mindy called. She needs food for the guys before the kids get there. Which reminds me, I need to go.”
“Where are you going?”
I tilted my head.
“To get food,” he added.
“Oh. Right. Grateful Cup. I told her I’d bring coffee and donuts.”
He nodded and then let Shiloh in. She darted toward me, but I turned to the side and lifted my leg to block her from jumping.
“Shiloh, food,” Sid commanded. I didn’t know why that tone of voice was so hot, but it was doing things to me I’d never admit out loud. Especially not to Sid.
“Give me a minute to get ready, and I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. My fingers played with the hem of my shirt.
“I’d like to.”
“Okay. I’ll wait for you.”
He nodded and then left the room. While he ran up the stairs, I shot a text to Mindy letting her know I’d be a little longer and then went to the front window to watch the sunrise. If I wasn’t going anywhere, I would have grabbed a cup of coffee and sat on the porch swing.
A few minutes later, Sid came down the stairs dressed in jogging clothes. A black hairband held his hair back from his face. I didn’t hate the look. It highlighted his sharp facial features. He tugged on some running shoes, leashed up Shiloh, and opened the door.
“Mind if we walk?” he asked.
“Not at all. If I wasn’t heading to the farm, I’d join you.”
He looked at me funny.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I didn’t expect you to be a runner.”
“Jogger. I’m a newbie jogger. But the park is beautiful, and it’s peaceful early in the morning.”
He grunted, and I couldn’t tell if he was agreeing with me or if my talking irritated him. I was a morning person, always had been, but I would bet money that Mr. Grumpy Pants wasn’t.
The town was quiet. It was so early that almost everyone was still asleep. All the shops, except for the Grateful Cup, opened at eight. Elouise always opened early so shop owners could fill up on coffee and pastries before work.
